 POP QUIZ: In what country did Roots & Shoots begin?
If you guessed "Tanzania," give yourself a pat on the back. The first ever Roots & Shoots group formed on the back porch of Dr. Jane's home in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. That's why we've selected In Our Village: Kambi ya Simba Through the Eyes of Its Youth as this month's Roots & Shoots Book Club selection. Sponsored by the non-profit youth organization What Kids Can Do and edited by Barbara Cervone, the book is a project of the Awet Secondary School in Kambi ya Simba, Tanzania. In Our Village tells the story of one African village through first-hand accounts given by community members and colorful photos taken by local students. Situated near Mount Kilimanjaro and the Great Rift Valley, Kambi ya Simba (which means "Lion's Camp") is small but growing, and facing the same issues that many other African communities face: water shortages, environmental degradation, extreme poverty. Young people make up 44 percent of the village population, and through their eyes, there is so much more to see than these problems—and so much more to hear: the voices of Awet students singing their school song; the strains of Bongo Flava (Tanzanian hip-hop) coming from a battery-operated radio; the sound of neighbors greeting one another, "Habari." After learning about the young people in Kambi ya Simba, readers may want to know more, and they may want to do something. Here's how: - Read up on current events in Africa. Have each group member choose an article and write up a brief summary to share. For stories more local to Kambi ya Simba, check out the Arusha Times.
- Make a "video visit" to Kambi ya Simba. You can hear the student choir, watch an after school soccer practice or listen to student interviews. When you've finished watching, organize a group discussion of how the young people in the video are different from young people in your community, and how they're the same.
- Brush up on your Swahili, the national language of Tanzania. Find a glossary at the end of the book, as well as Swahili terms and phrases sprinkled throughout.
- Bring In Our Village into the classroom. On the book website, group leaders can find links and teaching resources on Africa from organizations such as Oxfam and National Geographic.
- Write about your kijiji (village)! Since In Our Village was published, groups of young people in Mbeya, Tanzania; Los Angeles, California and Saint Helens, Oregon have made books of their own through the In Our Global Village project. The groups used In Our Village as a model to share their own stories and experiences globally. You could do the same, using words, photographs and artwork to portray your community!
- If a whole book sounds overwhelming, pick a chapter of In Our Village to model. Your group could write about what role music plays in your lives, like the Awet students do in "Singing and Dancing," or express your hopes for the future, as the students do in "I want to be a leader."
Ready to read In Our Village? Download a PDF, get a copy for yourself or buy in bulk for your whole group by emailing info@whatkidscando.org. All proceeds from the book's sale go toward establishing a scholarship fund at Awet Secondary School for village youth dreaming of higher education.
Check out other Roots & Shoots Book Club selections: |
